Wolf & Luke’s Pigskin Awards for the Arizona Cardinals
Jan 11, 2024, 2:29 PM | Updated: 3:00 pm
With the Arizona Cardinals’ regular season wrapped up, it’s time for Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke Show to hand out some hardware in the inaugural Pigskin Awards.
Enlisting a total of 10 judges from across the Arizona Sports newsroom, including Cardinals Corner co-hosts Lauren Koval and Tyler Drake, three Cardinals took home five awards spanning from MVP to Glue Player of the Year.
Let’s dive right in:
Glue Player of the Year: S Budda Baker
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Other nominees:
– Kyler Murray
– Paris Johnson Jr.
Wolf: Budda got the glue guy?! I would never refer to Budda as a glue guy. A glue guy is a guy who’s just a pro and he goes about his job. Budda’s one of the best safeties in the football universe. He’s much more than a glue guy. He’s one the best safeties, if not the best safety, in the NFL.
Luke: (James Conner) was the name when you read off the nominees that I felt like might be missing, but the reason I didn’t vote for Conner was because sort of what (Wolf) said, because he had so many roles on this team.
Newcomer of the Year: Head coach Jonathan Gannon
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Other nominees:
– Kyzir White
– Michael Wilson
– Paris Johnson Jr.
Wolf: I picked Kyzir White. This a (player award) we’re talking about. Who put JG in the category?
Offensive Player of the Year: RB James Conner
Other nominees
– Kyler Murray
– Trey McBride
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Wolf: You can’t be an MVP and an offensive player of the year. That’s why I disagree with him being the offensive player of the year. … To me, (Kyler Murray) is the offensive player of the year.
Luke: I like it. Way to go, James.
Defensive Player of the Year: S Budda Baker
Other nominees:
– Jalen Thompson
– Dennis Gardeck
Wolf: I had Budda Baker as my defensive player of the year.
Luke: Budda’s sweeping his way through the Wolf & Luke Pigskin Awards. (Kyzir White) probably would have been my second choice (if nominated). It should have gone Jalen, Budda, Kyzir in my mind. Jalen Thompson’s had a ridiculous year.
Most Valuable Cardinal: RB James Conner
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Other nominees:
– Trey McBride
– Kyler Murray
– Budda Baker
Wolf: It’s not only his physical impact that he had on games, but when you go 4-13, you need somebody to lead in a 4-13 locker room. It’s very, very tough. James Conner was that guy. He rallied everybody and made everybody around him better.
Luke: With his words, with his actions, his play on the field, I think it is fitting that he got 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. It’s still kind of surprising to me that it was the first time in his career.
